Hongdae restaurant for a three-dish lunch for two: Doonjeong

Today's the day my friend and I go to Hongdae to see Fishing Girls perform! I used to live in Hongdae like a full-time regular, going 3-4 times a week in my early twenties, but now I only come here for shows. Anyway, my first time back in a while! Last time it felt like fewer people were around, but today it was packed. I'd heard about a gomtang (beef bone soup) spot that had won the Blue Ribbon award two years running as a Hongdae lunch spot, so we went to check out Doonjeong Hongdae Direct Branch.

Doonjeong Hongdae Direct Branch hours and how to get there

Doonjeong Hongdae Direct Branch is open from 11:00 to 21:00, with a break time from 15:30 to 17:00. Last order is at 15:00 and 20:30.

• Hours: 11:00 - 21:00
• Break time: 15:30 - 17:00
• Last order: 15:00, 20:30
• Group seating ⭕️ Takeout ⭕️ Reservations ⭕️ High chairs ⭕️

It's about a 5-minute walk from Exit 1 of Hongik University Station, so it's easy to reach even without a car.

There's no dedicated parking lot, but the Toros parking tower (paid) is recommended.

What the restaurant looks like and how long the wait is

Walking from the station you come to a clean-looking building — that's Doonjeong Hongdae Direct Branch, picked as a Blue Ribbon restaurant two years in a row for 2025 and 2026. My heart was already racing before we even walked in, wondering how good it would be!

By the time I took these photos we were nearly finished eating, so the crowd had thinned out, but when we first walked in the place was completely full and we had to wait a bit before getting seated. That's how popular this lunch spot is in Hongdae. Even when it's packed, the tables are spaced far enough apart that conversation never gets noisy — it was comfortable.

What's on the menu at Doonjeong

Hanwoo gomtang is Doonjeong's signature dish, and there are many variations — basic, sseuji (beef tendon), special, chadol (thinly sliced brisket), spicy yangtang, and more. There's also a range of sides like yukhoe bibimbap, minari-shrimp pancake, and seasoned meat, so you can pick according to your taste, plus hanwoo hot pot and gopchang (beef tripe) hot pot make it a great menu for having a drink too.

Clear hanwoo gomtang, hanwoo yukhoe bibimbap, shrimp minari pancake. We were starving, so we ordered all three!

They also carry a good variety of traditional liquors to pair with the food. Songmyeongseop makgeolli is one there — this is my all-time favorite makgeolli, and it's rare to find a place that carries it, jackpot!!!!! But since I was staying sober that day, I'll have to save it for next time, sigh.

How the three dishes tasted

Once you order, they first bring out napa cabbage kimchi, radish kimchi (kkakdugi), and soy sauce for dipping the shrimp minari pancake. There's also salt and pepper on the table so you can season the gomtang to your taste. Kimchi is everything at a rice restaurant, and this kimchi was so good!

Two women eating a hearty feast lol. The table was practically groaning under the food, and even though we got super full, it was so good we finished every last bit!

Hanwoo yukhoe bibimbap

We originally planned to order two bowls of gomtang, but the yukhoe (raw beef) bibimbap had a star next to it on the menu, so we tried it — and it turned out to be made with hanwoo! Freshness matters a lot for yukhoe, which is why using quality hanwoo matters, and this was made with good-quality beef, super fresh.

The yukhoe looked gorgeous. Plus there was a generous heap of minari (water celery), which pairs amazingly with yukhoe. Minari plus yukhoe is trendy right now, and I make it at home sometimes — it really goes together well.

Mix it all up like this and it's absolutely delicious. Both the minari and yukhoe were fresh, which made it taste even better. These are ingredients where freshness is everything, and I'm guessing their turnover is good and they manage freshness well, because the flavor was top-notch.

They also serve a side of gomtang broth with the bibimbap, and it even has meat in it! Nice attention to detail with the extra service. A bite of yukhoe bibimbap followed by a sip of gomtang broth is seriously amazing!

Clear hanwoo gomtang

Next up, the clear hanwoo gomtang. It's made by simmering hanwoo cow meat for a long time, resulting in a soup that's deep in flavor without being overpowering.

The rice comes already mixed into the soup, topped generously with scallions and two kinds of meat. If you want more meat, there's a special menu option, and if you want to add sseuji or chadol, there are separate add-on options too, so you can customize the gomtang to your taste. One spoonful of the broth and it was insane! Truly savory, clean, yet rich in flavor.

They also give you a special soy sauce just for the gomtang meat, and dipping it in that is so good. The meat was all cooked down until tender, not chewy at all — it practically melted with a couple of bites.

Shrimp minari pancake

For a side, I debated between seasoned meat and shrimp minari pancake, but the reviews for the pancake were so good that I went with that. It also had a star next to it on the menu — that means confidence, so I placed the order right away. Honestly, two women could have gotten full just on the gomtang and bibimbap, but you know you have to try the sides.

Cut it up with the scissors they provide, dip it in the dedicated soy sauce, and the crispy texture is amazing! It tastes way more upscale than a regular scallion pancake, and it's so, so good. My friend loved it too. We were both stuffed, but we finished it completely!

Is Doonjeong Hongdae worth it for lunch?

After going, I can confirm the Blue Ribbon award doesn't disappoint. Everything was delicious, sigh — that's exactly why it's earned the recognition! The gomtang was great, the yukhoe bibimbap was great, and the shrimp minari pancake was insane... everything was good, but make sure you order the minari pancake!!!!! Turnover is good so all the ingredients stay fresh, and the owner and staff were friendly too — if you're looking for a Hongdae lunch spot, I highly recommend this place! Doonjeong Hongdae Direct Branch, recommended!